European Commission rules Apple should repay Ireland 13bn euros

Aug.30, Washington: The European Commission has ruled that Ireland should recover up to €13bn (£11bn) from Apple in back taxes. After a three-year investigation, it has concluded that the US firm's Irish tax benefits are illegal.

The Commission said Ireland enabled the company to pay substantially less than other businesses, in effect paying a corporate tax rate of no more than 1%.

Ireland and Apple both said they disagreed with the record penalty and would appeal against it.